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A Weblog Dedicated to the Discussion of the Christian Faith and 21st Century Life

A Weblog Dedicated to the Discussion of the Christian Faith and 21st Century Life___I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe, –that unless I believed, I should not understand.-- St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)

Thursday, November 14, 2013

John Wesley: Did You Know?

Some interesting facts about the founder of Methodism from the Christian History Institute:
___Though not a doctor of medicine, John Wesley invented many cures for diseases he had, wrote a book on medicinal cures for the masses, and started clinics for the poor.Churches, said Wesley, should be built "in the octagonal form" (with eight sides) and the interior should have a rail in the middle "to divide the men from the women." There were to be no pews and no backs to the seats!Because of the enormous output of publications designed for the common man, John Wesley has been called "The Father of the Religious Paperback." Sermons, tracts, pamphlets of every kind-- numbering around 5000 items came from his pen!When John and Charles Wesley founded the "Holy Club" at Oxford in 1729, not more than five or six members of the House of Commons went to church at all!The greatest success of Methodism was not among the rich and "successful" but among the poor, but ironically, simple commoners were often the very ones who persecuted Wesley and the open air preachers most!For all the power of his eyes and voice, John Wesley measured five-feet-three inches tall and weighed 128 pounds!
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More interesting facts on John Wesley can be found here.